Ex-Dividend Date Stock Price Behaviour in the German Market : A study on German stock price behaviour around the ex-dividend date, pre- and post the 2016 tax reforms

In recent years, European tax authorities have been defrauded out of billions of euros in a highly controversial securities trading scheme. The trading scheme in question is known as cum – cum and cum-ex trading, in which investors would take advantage of favorable tax legislation to gain illicit tax refunds. As a result, several European countries have been cracking down on the problem by changing and tightening their tax policies to combat these practices. Our thesis investigates the new legislation's impact on stock prices during this period, focusing on whether and how investors have reacted to the changes. Specifically, we examine the stock price movements on ex-date, a period that has been particularly favorable for foreign investors. As they have previously been able to achieve a tax-credit refund and avoid paying the DWT tax by utilizing the cum – cum trading scheme. We carried out an event study to explore if the price movements in the pre- and post-period have been affected. Specifically, we investigate whether the new legislation's impact on stock prices is due to a shift in investor behavior and tax preferences. Analyzing the 100 most traded stocks on the German stock exchange and gathered data on daily stock prices from 2012 to 2018, we perform regressions on the daily change in stock price 60 days prior and 50 days after the stock goes ex-dividend. Our findings show that the stock price did not reduce significantly at the start of the holding period, contrary to expectations. Furthermore, the stock price reduces significantly on the ex-date for all regressions, but the reduction in stock price differs depending on the sample. The coefficient of the decrease in stock price aligns closely with the expected value of a partial tax credit refund for foreign investors. Contrary to our expectations we find no evidence of a price premium at the start of the holding period. However, we find evidence of changing investor preferences, which hints to a clientele effect. The new tax legislation in Germany has affected the stock market, as it has altered the price reduction observed once the stock goes ex-dividend. While we notice a change in investors' preferences, we still fail to find a clear link between the holding period and a change in stock price

Information Retrieval in Semantic Data

Mengden semantisk data tilgjengelig har økt betraktelig de siste årene. Semantisk data tilbyr mange fordeler i informasjonsgjenfinning, men tradisjonelle informasjonsgenfinningsmetoder greier ikke utnytte informasjonen i denne strukturerte dataen. Derfor er det behov for nye teknikker som utnytter semantikken i slik data. Tidligere forskning har introdusert nye teknikker kalt semantically enriched ranking. Disse teknikkene kan bli kombinert med tradisjonelle informasjonsgjenfinningsmetoder og er ment å forbedre rangeringen. Denne oppgaven implementerer og undersøker noen av disse teknikkene for å se om de kan hjelpe informasjonsgjenfinnings systemer til å prestere bedre for semantisk data. Denne oppgaven tar for seg fire forskjellige teknikker for å forbedre tradisjonell informasjonsgjenfinning. Dette inkluderer target entity, Tonon's hybrid ranking, entity linking, og sentralitet. Disse teknikkene ble deretter implementert sammen med et søkesystem. Flere ulike spørringer med forskjellige informasjonsbehov ble brukt for å evaluere de ulike teknikkene, før resultatet ble analysert og sammenlignet opp mot resultatene fra tradisjonell informasjonsgjenfinning. Resultatene fra forskjellige evalueringsmetoder, samt observasjon, tilsier at alle fire teknikker har positive egenskaper. Siden teknikkene bruker semantikken i dataen på ulike måter, gir teknikkene forskjellige resultater for de ulike spørringene. Derfor ble det konkludert at en kombinasjon av teknikkene er å foretrekke for å kunne optimalisere søkesystemer for semantisk data. Disse funnene er et skritt i riktig retning i arbeidet med å finne metoder som gjør at semantiske informasjonsgjenfinningssystemer kan utnytte informasjonen i semantisk data.The amount of semantic data available has grown rapidly over the years. Semantic data offers numerous advantages in information retrieval, however, traditional information retrieval technologies have shortcomings when utilizing the information in this structured data. Therefore, new techniques that leverage the semantics of the data are needed. To address this, previous research has introduced new techniques known as semantically enriched rankings. These techniques can be combined with traditional information retrieval systems and are meant to improve the ranking further. This thesis aimed to implement and investigate some of these enrichments, to see if they could help information retrieval systems perform better for semantic data. The thesis explores four different enrichment techniques, including target entity, Tonon's hybrid rank, entity linking, and centrality. These approaches were then implemented and modified together with a test search system. Multiple queries with different information needs were used to assess each enrichment, and the result from the enrichment was compared to those of the initial ranking with only traditional methods. The results gathered from different evaluation metrics and observation suggests that all four of the implemented enrichments have positive features. Because they all leverage the semantics in different ways, each enrichment worked differently for different types of queries. It was therefore concluded that a combination of the enrichment might be the best option to create an optimal search system for semantic data. These findings are a step forward in the process of finding methods for information retrieval systems to be able to exploit semantic data

Information Retrieval in Semantic Data

Mengden semantisk data tilgjengelig har økt betraktelig de siste årene. Semantisk data tilbyr mange fordeler i informasjonsgjenfinning, men tradisjonelle informasjonsgenfinningsmetoder greier ikke utnytte informasjonen i denne strukturerte dataen. Derfor er det behov for nye teknikker som utnytter semantikken i slik data. Tidligere forskning har introdusert nye teknikker kalt semantically enriched ranking. Disse teknikkene kan bli kombinert med tradisjonelle informasjonsgjenfinningsmetoder og er ment å forbedre rangeringen. Denne oppgaven implementerer og undersøker noen av disse teknikkene for å se om de kan hjelpe informasjonsgjenfinnings systemer til å prestere bedre for semantisk data. Denne oppgaven tar for seg fire forskjellige teknikker for å forbedre tradisjonell informasjonsgjenfinning. Dette inkluderer target entity, Tonon's hybrid ranking, entity linking, og sentralitet. Disse teknikkene ble deretter implementert sammen med et søkesystem. Flere ulike spørringer med forskjellige informasjonsbehov ble brukt for å evaluere de ulike teknikkene, før resultatet ble analysert og sammenlignet opp mot resultatene fra tradisjonell informasjonsgjenfinning. Resultatene fra forskjellige evalueringsmetoder, samt observasjon, tilsier at alle fire teknikker har positive egenskaper. Siden teknikkene bruker semantikken i dataen på ulike måter, gir teknikkene forskjellige resultater for de ulike spørringene. Derfor ble det konkludert at en kombinasjon av teknikkene er å foretrekke for å kunne optimalisere søkesystemer for semantisk data. Disse funnene er et skritt i riktig retning i arbeidet med å finne metoder som gjør at semantiske informasjonsgjenfinningssystemer kan utnytte informasjonen i semantisk data.The amount of semantic data available has grown rapidly over the years. Semantic data offers numerous advantages in information retrieval, however, traditional information retrieval technologies have shortcomings when utilizing the information in this structured data. Therefore, new techniques that leverage the semantics of the data are needed. To address this, previous research has introduced new techniques known as semantically enriched rankings. These techniques can be combined with traditional information retrieval systems and are meant to improve the ranking further. This thesis aimed to implement and investigate some of these enrichments, to see if they could help information retrieval systems perform better for semantic data. The thesis explores four different enrichment techniques, including target entity, Tonon's hybrid rank, entity linking, and centrality. These approaches were then implemented and modified together with a test search system. Multiple queries with different information needs were used to assess each enrichment, and the result from the enrichment was compared to those of the initial ranking with only traditional methods. The results gathered from different evaluation metrics and observation suggests that all four of the implemented enrichments have positive features. Because they all leverage the semantics in different ways, each enrichment worked differently for different types of queries. It was therefore concluded that a combination of the enrichment might be the best option to create an optimal search system for semantic data. These findings are a step forward in the process of finding methods for information retrieval systems to be able to exploit semantic data

Talking through difference: everyday ethics across borders in an Israeli-Palestinian community

At the centre of one of the most well-known and seemingly intractable societal conflicts in modern history, a movement of Jewish and Palestinian Israelis has tried over the decades to work towards equality, a shared society, and positive inter-group relationships. Within this movement is the community of Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom (‘Oasis of Peace’ in Arabic and Hebrew), where 30 Jewish families and 30 Palestinian families have chosen to live together and run educational outreach projects to share their theories about peace and equality with others in Israel-Palestine. Key to this moral endeavour is dialogue, which really means being able to talk through difference; villagers believe in talking with each other despite the political and social barriers that may stand in their way, and making those very socio-political differences into objects of discussion. This thesis, based on 17-months fieldwork in Wahat al-Salam - Neve Shalom, explores three puzzles with implications for the mission of the community as well as anthropological theory. First, what kind of language ideologies underlie the idea of talking as a tool for peace? Second, what concept of difference do community members have, given the potentially negative implications of either emphasizing or downplaying difference? Third, what motivates people in social movements to live their ethical ideals in the everyday? Given the highly politicised context in which the villagers live, and the moral objectives they live by, even seemingly banal linguistic choices can affect relationships. Friendships across difference can be formed, strengthened, or fall apart as the result of verbal and non-verbal interactions — energising those involved when they go well and producing feelings of discomfort or embarrassment when they do not. In sum, this thesis suggests that everyday ethical approaches to difference draw on a mixture of political awareness and sensitivity, explicit theories about the way to engage with others, and the internal dynamics of interactions. These internal dynamics bring up moments of ambiguity that require reflection but also provide the potential for people to challenge their differences and how best to deal with them

Forekomst og karakteristika ved uveitt hos barn med juvenil idiopatisk artritt

Dette er et multisenter tverrsnittstudie angående forekomst, kliniske funn og komplikasjoner ved JIA-assosiert uveitt. Juvenil idiopatisk artritt (JIA) er en kronisk leddsykdom som rammer barn og ungdom. Den vanligste ekstra-artikulære manifestasjonen til JIA er uveitt. Forekomst og karakteristika ved uveitt varierer i ulike studier. Enkelte studier viser at forekomsten av uveitt hos barn og ungdom med JIA kan være lavere per i dag enn tidligere, ettersom flere starter tidlig med mer effektiv medikamentell og biologisk behandling. Studien er et delprosjekt av den større prospektive kohortstudien NorJIA. Data i er i denne oppgaven kontrollert, systematisert og analysert for å undersøke andel barn med uveitt, karakteristika for sykdommene, behandlingsalternativer, aktivitet av uveitt, og forekomst av komplikasjoner. Av totalt 33 barn med uveitt hadde 18 barn enten én eller flere komplikasjoner. Vi fant signifikant forskjell i forekomst av uveitt hos barn som fikk diagnosen JIA i ung alder, og blant ANA-positive. Kumulativ insidens av uveitt i studiekohorten blant barn med JIA og uveitt er 14,5%, som er sammenliknbart med tidligere studier fra vår region. Vi fant komplikasjoner ved JIA-assosiert uveitt som båndformet keratopati, flare, synekier, katarakt, glaukom, unormal papille og unormal fovearefleks. I alt tre barn hadde nedsatt visus

Linear dimensionality reduction for classification via a sequential Bayes error minimisation with an application to flow meter diagnostics

Supervised linear dimensionality reduction (LDR) performed prior to classification often improves the accuracy of classification by reducing overfitting and removing multicollinearity. If a Bayes classifier is to be used, then reduction to a dimensionality of $K-1$ is necessary and sufficient to preserve the classification information in the original feature space for the $K$-class problem. However, most of the existing algorithms provide no optimal dimensionality to which to reduce the data, thus classification information can be lost in the reduced space if $K-1$ dimensions are used. In this paper, we present a novel LDR technique to reduce the dimensionality of the original data to $K-1$, such that it is well-primed for Bayesian classification. This is done by sequentially constructing linear classifiers that minimise the Bayes error via a gradient descent procedure, under an assumption of normality. We experimentally validate the proposed algorithm on $10$ UCI datasets. Our algorithm is shown to be superior in terms of the classification accuracy when compared to existing algorithms including LDR based on Fisher's criterion and the Chernoff criterion. The applicability of our algorithm is then demonstrated by employing it in diagnosing the health states of $2$ ultrasonic flow meters. As with the UCI datasets, the proposed algorithm is found to have superior performance to the existing algorithms, achieving classification accuracies of $99.4\%$ and $97.5\%$ on the two flow meters. Such high classification accuracies on the flow meters promise significant cost benefits in oil and gas operations.NOTICE: this is the author’s version of a work that was accepted for publication in Expert Systems with Applications. Changes resulting from the publishing process, such as peer review, editing, corrections, structural formatting, and other quality control mechanisms may not be reflected in this document. Changes may have been made to this work since it was submitted for publication. A definitive version was subsequently published in Expert Systems with Applications, [91, (2017)] DOI: 10.1016/j.eswa.2017.09.010© 2017, Elsevier. Licensed under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0

Det beste for mennesket

Eg skriv om Auguste Comte sin altruisme og Ayn Rand sin egoisme, og reflekterer rundt kva desse filosofane meinar er det beste for mennesket. Mitt spørsmål er: finst det ein gylden middelveg mellom det å kun ta vare på andre og det å kun ta vare på seg sjølv? To moralske ytterpunkt. Nokon vil til og med seie at det å være egoist nettopp ikkje er å være moralsk. Spørsmålet om du skal prioritere dei rundt deg, eller deg sjølv meinar eg er viktig å avklare før me går vidare med noko som helst innan filosofien. Det er eit spørsmål som ligg til grunn bak all moral. Eg brukar Aristoteles når eg diskuterer middelvegen, og Henrik Ibsen når eg diskuterer korleis orda har vorte misforstått. Til slutt forsøker eg å argumentere for at middelvegen er det å ta vare på seg sjølv samtidig som ein tek vare på sine medmennesker

Organisering og Samordning: en studie av politiet og PSTs organisering og dens påvirkning på samordnet terrorforebyggende arbeid

Temaet for masteroppgaven er organiseringen av politiet og PST og dens påvirkning på et samordnet terrorforebyggende arbeid. Formålet med oppgaven er å se hvorvidt organiseringen av politiet og PST har en effekt på det samordnede terrorforebyggende arbeidet, og hvilken betydning denne effekten eventuelt har. Det er blitt gjort en kvalitativ dokumentanalyse av flere rapporter og tidligere forskning, for å komme frem til dataene som er blitt benyttet i studien. Teoriene som er blitt benyttet er å se terrorisme i sammenheng med gjenstridige problemer og endringer over tid i politi og PST. samt kognitiv og geografisk distanse i forhold til samordningen internt og på tvers av organisasjonene. Oppgaven kommer frem til at det er en sammenheng mellom organisering og hvor effektivt en klarer å samordne et terrorforebyggende arbeid. Hvor effektivt en klarer å samordne innsatsen avhenger av at det kortere distansen eller tiltak som reduserer effekten av distanser og at det er likt kunnskapsgrunnlag mellom de samarbeidene aktørene. Samtidig kommer det også frem at en ikke kan organisere seg vekk fra terrorrelaterte problemstillinger og at dette arbeidet vil alltid være pågående.Masteroppgave i administrasjon og organisasjonsvitenskapAORG350MASV-AOR

GP phone calls to improve COVID-19 vaccine uptake among patients at increased risk of severe COVID-19: a randomised trial

Background: English media have reported that many unvaccinated individuals took the COVID-19 vaccine after receiving a phone call from their GP. Aim: To determine whether phone calls from GPs to unvaccinated patients at increased risk of severe COVID-19 improves uptake of the COVID-19 vaccine. Design & setting: Randomised trial where 202 participants were allocated to receive a phone call from their GP, and 452 participants were allocated to not get the call. Twenty-five GPs at 11 medical centres in Norway took part. The post-trial focus group discussion was with five GPs. Method: Participants were sourced from the GP electronic medical record system, which communicates with the Norwegian Immunisation Registry and can generate a list of the GPs’ unvaccinated patients at increased risk of severe COVID-19. Results: The GPs managed to speak over the phone with 154 (76%) patients allocated to receiving a phone call. At follow-up (average 7.5 weeks), 8.9% in the intervention group and 5.3% in the control group had been vaccinated (odds ratio [OR] 1.72; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.90 to 3.28). Findings from the focus group discussion suggested the timing of the intervention as a likely key reason for its limited success. Conclusion: An increase in the proportion of patients who took the COVID-19 vaccine in the intervention group was observed, but the difference was smaller than anticipated, and may be a chance finding. The effect of this type of intervention will likely vary across contexts and may have proved more effective if a larger proportion of the population were unvaccinated.publishedVersio